"In the past few weeks, the U.S. has seen a dramatic increase in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, the vast majority of them caused by the Delta variant—a mutation of the virus that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says is far more transmissible than the original strain. The spike in hospitalizations and severe illness has prompted an encouraging rise in immunizations, particularly in states with low vaccination rates. Still, the U.S. is trailing the European Union in vaccinations, and many Americans, especially white evangelicals and people under seventy-five, remain reluctant to receive the shot."